新潟県に分布する石炭系青海石灰岩における遠洋域礁生態系の復元

筑波大学 (University of Tsukuba)201

3D X-ray CT and diffusion measurements to assess tortuosity and constrictivity in a sedimentary rock

A high-resolution, three-dimensional (3D) image of the interior of the sedimentary rock was obtained by means of nano-focus X-ray computer tomography (X-ray CT). Using computational methods to analyze the 3D microstructure of the rock, we presented the tortuosity and geometrical constrictivity. We also presented results on the tritiated water (HTO) diffusion tests and a mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) test performed on the rock. We have compared these results to understand the dominant parameters that control diffusion of HTO in the present system. These results suggest that the dominant parameters in the present system are not the constrictivity but the tortuosity and the diffusion-accessible porosity. The material considered in this study is the siliceous mudstones sampled from 500 m in depth at the Wakkanai formation around Horonobe underground research center in Hokkaido, Japan

Japanese university students' behavior when reading english: a questionnaire survey and factor analysis

This paper reports on a specific cognitive behavior often found when trying to understand a text not written in readers’ native language. Our research group conducted a questionnaire survey to examine Japanese readers’ cognitive behavior and awareness when reading English texts. We also conducted a factor analysis on this questionnaire to identify the behaviors often found when reading English. Participants were 56 Japanese students studying engineering at Chuo University. After reading the texts, a questionnaire consisting of 43 items was applied to the participants. We used exploratory factor analysis to identify the primary factors related to readers’ cognitive behavior and awareness when reading a non-native language. As a result of the analysis, mainly based on the highest contributing factors, it was suggested that readers may have made substitutions into Japanese, their own words, when reading the English texts. In other words, when reading a non-native language, the reader may read the texts by replacing them with their native language rather than comprehending it in that language. Based on the results of our experiment, it is expected that the research on the cognitive supporting systems may help readers to understand non-native languages quickly and smoothly

新潟県に分布する石炭系青海石灰岩における遠洋域礁生態系の復元

筑波大学 (University of Tsukuba)201

A new remarkable cimicoid genus and species (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Cimicomorpha) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, with implications for its aberrant male genitalia

A new genus and species of cimicoid true bug, Ecpaglocoris ditomeus Yamada & Yamamoto, gen. et sp. nov., is described and illustrated from mid-Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Albian) amber in the Kachin State of northern Myanmar (Burma). This new fossil genus and species is reminiscent of members of Anthocoridae by the strongly flattened and elongated body, four-segmented labium, distinct costal fracture and presence of fossula spongiosa on fore tibiae, but should not be ascribed to this family. The new taxon cannot be placed in any extant cimicoid families, based upon hemelytral, male genital and other morphological structures. Based on the hemelytral membrane venation and presence of dorsal laterotergites on abdominal segments I to VIII, it can be assumed that this new genus belongs to the extinct family Vetanthocoridae. Ecpaglocoris ditomeus gen. et sp. nov. has aberrant male genitalia characterised by sickle-shaped left and right parameres and grooves running throughout the paramere. This characteristic indicates that traumatic insemination occurred in this genus. The peculiar combination of male genital characteristics seen in Ecpaglocoris gen. nov. prevents its placement in any of the extant cimicoid families

保育施設における幼児の描画活動に見るキャラクター表現と図形模写能力の関連性

本論は，幼児の描画活動におけるキャラクター表現と図形模写能力の関連性について考察する。そこで，キャラクター表現の有無が，図形模写能力に与える影響を明らかにするため，①キャラクター表現を行う幼児，②キャラクターは描かないが一般的な描画を行う幼児，③自発的に描画活動を行わない幼児，の３群に分け図形模写能力を比較検討した。その結果，キャラクター表現をする幼児も，一般的な描画をする幼児と同水準の図形模写能力を有していることが，明らかになった。このことから，キャラクター表現は，一般の描画表現と同様に，描画経験の蓄積となる表現形式の１つになり得ると考えられる。This study discusses the relationship between the act of drawing characters and the shapes copying ability of preschoolers observed in drawing activities. For the purpose of elucidating the effects of drawing characters on the children’s shapes copying ability, preschoolers were divided into the following three groups and their shapes copying ability was comparatively examined: 1) those who draw characters, 2) those who do not draw characters but draw in a general way, 3) those who do not participate in drawing activities on their own initiative. As a result, it was elucidated that children who draw characters and children who draw in a general way both had the same level of shapes copying ability. Accordingly, as with the act of drawing in a general way, the act of drawing characters may be regarded as one of the expression forms for building drawing experience

Comprehensive Assessment of Risk Factors of Cause-Specific Infant Deaths in Japan

Background: Public attention is given to infants with socially high risks of child abuse and neglect, while clinical attention is provided to infants with a biologically high risk of diseases. However, few studies have systematically evaluated how biological or social factors cross over and affect cause-specific infant mortality.Methods: We linked birth data with death data from the Japanese national vital statistics database for all infants born from 2003–2010. Using multivariate logistic regression, we examined the association between biological and social factors and infant mortality due to medical causes (internal causes), abuse (intentional external causes), and accidents (unintentional external causes).Results: Of 8,941,501 births, 23,400 (0.26%) infants died by 1 year of age, with 21,884 (93.5%) due to internal causes, 175 (0.75%) due to intentional external causes, and 1,194 (5.1%) due to unintentional external causes. Infants with high social risk (teenage mothers, non-Japanese mothers, single mothers, unemployed household, four or more children in the household, or birth outside of health care facility) had higher risk of death by intentional, unintentional, and internal causes. Infant born with small for gestational age and preterm had higher risks of deaths by internal and unintentional causes, but not by intentional causes.Conclusions: Both biological as well as social factors were associated with infant deaths due to internal and external causes. Interdisciplinary support from both public health and clinical-care professionals is needed for infants with high social or biological risk to prevent disease and injury

Focal brain lactate accumulation in metformin-induced encephalopathy without systemic lactic acidosis: A case report suggesting mitochondrial vulnerability in lentiform fork sign

Metformin causes metabolic encephalopathy in some patients with end-stage chronic kidney disease, resulting in impaired consciousness and parkinsonism. This encephalopathy has a very characteristic magnetic resonance imaging feature in lentiform nuclei known as the “lentiform fork sign”. However, the mechanism is unknown. Here, we report a case of metformin-induced encephalopathy with a novel observation of lactate accumulation in the lentiform nuclei on magnetic resonance spectroscopy without systemic lactic acidosis. Since metformin is an inhibitor of mitochondrial complex-I, this focal brain lactate accumulation implies that a part of the pathogenesis of metformin-induced encephalopathy is the focal vulnerability of mitochondria to metformin in the lentiform nuclei. When metformin causes encephalopathy, not only testing for serum lactic acidosis and performing routine magnetic resonance imaging but also evaluation of brain lactate accumulation by magnetic resonance spectroscopy should be required to elucidate the etiology

Physiological and Pathological Mitochondrial Clearance Is Related to Pectoralis Major Muscle Pathogenesis in Broilers With Wooden Breast Syndrome

Wooden breast syndrome (WB) constitutes an emerging myopathy in the pectoralis major muscle (PM) of broiler chickens, characterized by myofiber hypertrophy and degeneration along with severe fibrosis. WB pathogenesis has been considered to involve hypoxia induced by rapid growth of the PM. In this study, we focused on mitochondrial morphology and dynamics in the myofibers, as these organelles are sensitive to damage by hypoxia, and examined the effects on WB pathogenesis. Specifically, the PMs of a flock of 35 broilers at 50 days of age were evaluated. First, the severity of disease in each bird was determined by measuring histopathological indices including the fibrotic area (FA) in the muscle and circularity of myofibers (CM). These values were 29.4 ± 9.6% and 0.70 ± 0.042, respectively, showing variety among the flock. Myofiber vacuolization was observed in all birds including numerous small- or large-rimmed vacuoles, with the former consisting of ultrastructurally autophagosome-like vacuoles engulfing degenerated mitochondria. The large-rimmed vacuoles frequently occurred in the PMs with more severe FA and CM, indicating a relationship between altered autophagy/mitophagy and WB severity. Next, the expression levels of hypoxia-adaptive and mitochondrial dynamics-related genes were analyzed, and their correlations with the histopathological indices were examined. The histopathological indices were negatively correlated with the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), indicating that less angiogenesis owing to weakened hypoxia-inducible factor signaling induces more severe WB pathology. In addition, the observed negative correlation with mitochondrial dynamics-related genes implied that WB pathology deteriorates concomitant with reduced mitochondrial dynamics. Furthermore, the expression of mitochondrial dynamics-related genes showed strong positive correlation with that of VEGFA and autophagy-/mitophagy-related genes. These results revealed that the PMs of broilers possess the mechanism of physiological clearance of mitochondria damaged by the hypoxia resulting from the continuous mitochondrial dynamics and autophagy/mitophagy accompanying rapid PM growth. In turn, the altered mitochondrial clearance induced by chronic hypoxia and the accumulation of damaged mitochondria likely underly the severe pathological features of WB.ArticleFrontiers in Pharmacology.11:579(2020)journal articl